Sunday, April 23, 2017

Metro Musings

You must be wondering, musings in a Metro train?

Well, yes, I do know mountains, retreats, forests or riversides are the usual cliches, when it comes to musing.

But, in our busy city dwelling lives, unsuspecting and unusual places like toilet seats, traffic signals, flights, airports, and of course, Metro trains, have become the unlikely sources of stimulus and thus, rescuers of many a philosophical souls like mine.

And so here it is, one of the musings from my daily metro commute -

Thanks to the usual Delhi metro crowd, I found myself seatless and standing by one of the exit gates, and this is how I noticed, the Stark change in the scenery, from the drab and dark tunnel to the all modern, clean metro station with it's tiled floors, escalators, neon lights etc etc

And all of a sudden my mind wandered over to the current construction going on the Delhi-Gurgaon stretch of NH-8, currently in it's formative stages with no finishing touches, and my wandering mind began wondering about the time, when this metro station must have been under-construction, the difference that it must have been then and it is now.........

Well the dots, that my mind connected led to this sudden realisation -

About How we daily see and use our highways, metros, airports, bridges and railway tracks etc

We are very happy using and enjoying these finished products, without wondering about the journey of their inception.

We never spare a thought, that beneath these strong structures are the, not so beautiful concrete pillars, the drains, their chemical compositions and construction. We also, forget that all these are a result of the calculations, sweat, trials and errors of the mental and physical labour of countless people we never see or acknowledge.

Infact, we may be seeing or travelling with these nameless faces daily, without ever knowing, that it is their persistent efforts in the face of harsh summers and winters, under sun or rain, that are the reason for making our daily commutes easier. Without ever offering them any gratitude or even saying a prayer of thanks!!

Strange? Isn't it?

How we Spend our lives, without looking beneath and beyond the superficial surface that our Eyes see.

How now a days we just chase after the glamorous facade, without seeking to look beyond, what is apparent.

How we are so pre-occupied with the superficial and mundane that we no longer bother about going within, and searching in our depth for the roots or Genesis of our problems, our motives, our feelings and our desires.

How far and disconnected we have become even from our own selves!!

How we simply sit by the shores of the Ocean, without actually diving deep into it.

And you know, What's funny? That we outrage, get angry or feel bad when people around us, instead of digging deep, superficially and thoughtlessly judge us or our efforts or work. But, when we do the same to others in our daily lives, we hardly break a Sweat!!

Food for thought. Isn't it?

I believe we become wiser, when we have taught ourselves to seek and see beyond the evident. When we learn to be thoughtful and mindful. When learn to be thankful and cherish what we have, rather than taking our comforts for granted.

When we learn that taking that leap of faith into the unknown, beyond our bubble of comfort is where, we will find hidden treasures and baubles of wisdom, newer roads and companions, which will help us live our lives better, richer and more fuller.

Dare yourself to look beyond what your eyes can see, let your mind wander and explore to find magic and stories hidden all around you. Gift yourself this journey of exploration, and life will no longer be just mundane.

(P.S. - Before, I sign out, a piece of my mind to NHAI and MCD Gurgaon, who never bothered to discuss with the citizens of the city, before implementing their construction plans. The very citizens who now suffer daily mammoth jams, Nor did anyone break a leg before cutting off 300 or more odd trees and destroying Citizen's parks for this construction!!! And it will be a George Lucas's space saga equivalent to hope that NHAI will work to try and finish this project as early as possible and in the end replant and restore are the trees and parks.

So much for being a people's government!! A government which doesn't even bother to have open discussions with citizens it is impacting)

Being Me

I am a nomad, a wanderer, at a constant war with myself, out in search for an understanding about myself. I am observing, learning and growing with every passing day that I spend living just as a seed grows up into a plant. It's a process which I enjoy at times and at times endure. It's a journey the destination of which I do not know, but I walk along the road doing my bit, enjoying the experience while leaving behind my foot prints on the sands of time.